Improvement in bracelets



JAMES H. S'PRGUE.

Improved Braceiet.

Patented om. 3,1871.

No. 119,540.-f

f www PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. SPRAGUE, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN BRACELETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 119,540, dated October 3, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. SFRAGU'E, of the city and county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have made an invention of a new and desirable article of manufacture of an Improved Bracelet from Horn, Hard-Rubber, &c.; and do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof7 due reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan, Fig. 2 a longitudinal section of a bracelet made from the above material and embodying my improvement.

This invention relates to a class of bracelets composed of horn, hard-rubber, and other material possessing, in comparison with metal, a soft and easily-fractured substance.

Bracelets made of this material have heretofore been produced in two forms, one of which is to construct it in two pieces and unite them by an elastic cord, and the other to make them in one piece and depend upon their elasticity to allow them to expand sufficiently to pass over the hand and about the wrist. So far as my knowledge extends this class of bracelet has never been produced in sections, jointed together, as in the case of gold bracelets, and the nature of my invention consists in forming a bracelet in sections and uniting them by proper j oints, in order to avoid on the one hand the otherwise inevitable breaking of elastics and difficulty of insertion as well as pricking of the iiesh of the wearer, and on the other hand the fracture of the bracelet from the brittleness ofthe material in the attempt to pass it over the hand.

The accompanying drawing represents at A a bracelet as composed of a central ornamental port-ion, B, and two side wings, C O, the latter being hinged to the center in any suitable manner, whereby they may be allowed to diverge from one another to such an extent that they may be easily passed over the wearers hand and contracted about her wrist, a suitable catch being applied to the overlapping ends to lock them together.

In this manner I avail myself of the low cost of a bracelet made from a semi-elastic and easilyfractured substance, and yet obviate the present objectionable feature they possess in being so easily broken.

I claim- As an improved article of manufacture a bracelet made from hard-rubber or the semi-elastic or comparatively soft substance, when such brace let is composed of sections and hinged in the manner and for purposes herein set forth.

JAMES H. SPRAGUE.

Witnesses:

Enw. GRIFFITH, HORACE SAUNnERs. 

